Family Loses Husky In Wildfire — But Then They See Strange-Looking Dog On News

"My youngest daughter is just so in love with him ... after a few minutes she knew it was him."

Max is around a year old and has lived with his family since he was just a puppy. He has two human sisters who absolutely adore him, and he loves running around outside, playing with anything he can find and spending time with his amazing family. Max’s family could not love him more — and when the Camp Fire that is ravaging its way through California reached their home, they were worried they might lose Max forever. 

dog missing in camp fire
Michel Yeager

The Camp Fire began on November 8, and as soon as it began, the Yeager family’s home was in danger. Springing into emergency mode, Michel Yeager rushed to pick up her older daughter from school and her younger daughter from her dad’s house, and then drove to her home to get Max. At that point, the fire was upon them and they had very little time, and unfortunately, Max was nowhere to be found. 

“We have a pretty big yard and he always likes to hide under our porch when he's scared and I wasn't able to get to him,” Yeager told The Dodo. “I saw the fire ash falling from the sky and I knew I had to get my girls out. We were only able to stay for less than five minutes.” 

dog missing in camp fire
Michel Yeager

By the end of that day, the Yeager family was fairly certain that their home was gone. On November 10, they received confirmation that their home had not survived the fire, and as they mourned the loss of their home, they also feared that Max was gone as well. 

Even though Max’s chances seemed slim, the Yeager family refused to give up. They posted about their beloved husky on Facebook, hoping someone had seen him — and as they scrolled through their feed, they suddenly came across a video about a dog found in the fires, and his name was Max. 

dog missing in camp fire
Michel Yeager

At first, the family thought there was no way the dog in the video could be their Max. Max is a husky with a thick, gorgeous coat of fur, and the dog in the video was basically yellow and looked nothing like their energetic, vivacious furry family member. Even though it felt like a long shot, they decided to look into it anyway, just in case the dog in the video really was their Max.

“My husband Jeff was actually looking through news videos on Facebook and came across one that said they found a dog named Max by Stratton’s Market on Sawmill,” Yeager said. “We live about a few houses down, so we called up the news person [and] asked how he knew his name and everything, and he described his collar.” 

As soon as the man described the dog’s collar, the Yeagers knew that the dog in the video was their Max after all. 

dog missing in camp fire
Michel Yeager

The first chance they could, the entire family went to reunite with Max, and could hardly believe that he was the same dog they’d seen only days before. His hair was all burnt off, and he was in pretty rough condition. Despite all the pain he was in, Max was overjoyed to see his family again, and while he looked completely different, inside, he was still Max. 

“It was amazing and sad with a lot of emotions from my girls and I,” Yeager said. “He's the same dog but he looks so different now. My youngest daughter is just so in love with him. At first she was scared, but after a few minutes she knew it was him.” 

dog missing in camp fire
Michel Yeager

Max is currently recovering at a veterinary hospital, and while his condition isn’t great, everyone is confident that he’s going to pull through. It’s going to take some time for him to heal, but now that he’s back with his loving family, there isn’t any challenge he can’t overcome with them by his side.

“He is doing better,” Yeager said. “They say he will make a full recovery, it's just going to take some time.”

If you’d like to help Max on his recovery journey, you can make a donation to him and his family.